The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Louisiana-Lafayette In Home Opener
11/17/2007 | Women's Basketball
GAME #2: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
November 18, 2007 2:00 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum (8,700
MEDIA
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com
Ole Miss (0-1, 0-0 SEC) will be in search of its first win of the season after falling 80-59 last Sunday at Nebraska in the first game of the season. Despite the loss, Ole Miss produced some offensive positives as four Lady Rebels scored in double figures. In addition, Lady Rebel senior forward Carla Bartee pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds en route to her second career double-double as she added 13 points as well. Sophomore Bianca Thomas tied a career-high with four rebounds from her guard position.
Individually, the Lady Rebels are paced on the offensive end by Bartee and sophomore guard Alliesha Easley as the pair each average 13.0 points per game. Thomas, along with fellow sophomore guard Shantell Black also average double figures with 10.0 points per game apiece. Bartee also leads the club and ranks second in the SEC with 11.0 rebounds per game.
Louisiana-Lafayette (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) enters the weekend having recorded its first win of the season with a 71-58 win over Arkansas-Monticello. The Ragin’ Cajuns dropped their season-opener with a 72-61 loss at Mercer. Last season, Louisiana-Lafayette recorded a 25-9 overall record en route to an NCAA Tournament berth. The Ragin’ Cajuns went on to appear in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game against Middle Tennessee before falling to
The Ragin’ Cajuns feature three plays averaging double figures after a pair of games. Junior guard Whitney Dunlap and senior center Sonora Edwards both average 15.0 points per game, while senior guard Alicia McDaniel accounts for 13.5 points per game.
Ole Miss and Louisiana-Lafayette are both in similar coaching situations as Lady Rebel head coach Renee Ladner and Ragin’ Cajun head coach Errol Rogers are both in their first years as head coach. Sunday’s meeting, however, will not be the first time the two have shared the sideline. The duo has spent the last four seasons coaching against each other as each were assistant coaches inside the SEC. Rogers, a 1995 graduate of Louisiana-Lafayette, spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at in-state rival
Sunday’s meeting will only be the second game all-time between the two schools. The only other game between the two came during the 1989-90 season as Ole Miss claimed a 75-69 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns. In addition, the Lady Rebels boast a 39-12 all-time record against teams hailing from the Sun Belt.
